Klarinet Archive - Posting 000538.txt from 2002/11

From: Jeremy A Schiffer <schiffer@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Dark Sound - Inappropriate language
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 23:56:06 -0500

On Tue, 12 Nov 2002, Buckman, Nancy wrote:

> While I was traveling this summer on my way to ClarinetFest my husband made
> a rather astute remark. He said, "Why is it that so many foreigners express
> such a distaste for American culture, but everywhere we go they are all
> copying American culture?"

I believe, in most places, the distaste is not for American culture as
much as it is for American foreign policy and governance. Of course,
fundamentalist countries do object to America's materialism, but those
states and their citizens are in the vast minority.

The larger issue (not to start a debate here) is with a country which
wields its power with a heavy, blunt stick, flaunting international
regulations on the one hand, while threatening to depose governments for
doing the same thing, on the other hand.

I happened to be home recently from work, and was watching Oprah (I can't
believe I just admitted to that in public), but only because this was her
exact topic. She teamed up with reporters from CNN all over the world, to
ask people - from Africa, Asia (including the Middle East), Europe, and
South America - what they thought about America. The answers were
overwhelmingly "we love America, we love Americans, we hate the American
government." The only places where the answers differed were in Kuwait and
Malaysia, two Islamic countries, where people expressed their disgust
at the fact that American women have sex before marriage.

I also highly recommend Michael Moore's new movie "Bowling for Columbine"
for this subject. It goes a little over the top in some sections, but
gives the viewer a good sense of why the rest of the world blanches at
America's power.

-Jeremy Schiffer

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Jeremy A. Schiffer
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Columbia University
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